MUSIC & WORSHIP RESOURCES

Sunday, September 18, 2011
(See the interview with Revivalist Dr. Charles Booth in the Cultural Resource unit.)

The African American Lectionary Liturgists

Worship Planning Notes

Most churches have at least one revival each year. The service below can be used for a revival service held during any season of the church. The lectionary focus for this revival unit focuses on the acts and attitudes of Christians as they await THE DAY OF THE LORD, which, though it may tarry, is surely to come. This focus is intended to remind worshipers that Revival should always be a time for us to increase our faithfulness to God and our service to others.

Additionally, Revival services always and quite importantly provide an opportunity for the unsaved to be told and reminded that they were created in the image of God by God. For the unsaved and those who have ruptured their relationship with God, Revival serves as an opportunity for this truth to be revived in the souls of these men and women.

• Use Social Media and Traditional Methods to Get Prayer Warriors Involved.
  A part of successful planning for Revival always includes prayer. At least one month before your Revival is to begin, select at least ten people who will pray for its success each day for 30 days. Especially have them pray for the unsaved, those who have ruptured their relationship with Christ, the Revival preacher and his or her family, and all who will witness to others about Christ and the Revival in the days leading up to the Revival.
  
  
• Use Social Media and Traditional Methods to Get the Unsaved to Attend.
  Set a goal for the number of unsaved person you want to attend each evening. Then, make groups responsible for getting a certain number of people to the church. For instance, if your goal for a three-day revival is to have 30 unsaved persons attend, have six departments/ministries responsible for bringing a total of five people over three nights. Without asking the guests to stand, be sure to have the department/ministry leaders or a representative STAND and quickly report each evening. For example: “To the pastor and the church: The Men’s ministry is happy to report that tonight we have three of the five guests whom we were to bring to the Revival.”
  
  
• Use Social Media to Invite Church Members, Sister Churches, and Your Community.
  If your Revival is being held for at least two days, be sure to invite at least two churches to participate each evening. This includes sending separate invitations to their choirs and indicating if they are to sing during the service and the number of songs and types of songs. The ushers, diaconate, and elders of those churches should also receive individual invitations AFTER the main invitation has been sent out by the pastor of your church.

These additional steps provided by Donna Cox will be very helpful in your planning:

• Begin planning your revival far enough in advance to invite guest choirs, guest churches, and persons from your community. During the planning phase you may also want to select a theme and colors, and you may want to tie the revival to other church efforts, etc. Planning is critical to any successful revival.
  
  
• If persons are expected to return for multiple nights during the week, then the typical revival service held in the evening should be no longer than two and a half hours.
  
  
• Youth revivals should not be treated in the same manner liturgically as a revival for adults. Youth revivals are occasions for adults to be taken outside of their comfort zones; youth services, however, should cater to their target audience—youths. It is expected that a youth revival will feature praise dancers, Christian mime groups, step teams, and youth worship leaders and preachers.
  
  
• Just because congregants arrive late does not require that worship begin late. Always start at the time that was advertised. This is especially important for choir members and other members of your worship ministry. Also, ensure that members of the music and arts ministries who have disabilities arrive early to allow time for them to be properly seated and provided with necessary materials to participate in the worship service.
  
  
• Revivals are not opportunities for choirs, praise teams, guest psalmists, or other areas of the music and arts ministries to give concerts. Work out a schedule and stick to it, while also being flexible. Guest preachers may arrive late. This should also be considered as you plan for the revival. Additionally, to avoid lengthening a service, when guest churches or artists are to sing or contribute in other ways during a service, treat them as your guests and give them sufficient time to participate in the service. This may mean the host church sings very few songs and/or shortens their participation in worship.
  
  
• If possible, obtain the texts that the preacher(s) will use each night and ensure that the music and/or other ministries are in keeping with the texts selected by the preacher(s).
  
  
• Prepare the music in advance, coordinate attire in advance (this includes an assessment of whether jewelry is to be worn, what colors are to be worn, robes, etc.), and ensure that hymnals, song books, and folders, if used, are prepared in advance.
  
  
• Do a thorough testing of all media equipment at least 48 hours before the revival is slated to begin. This also includes equipment used to videotape or record services in any manner.
  
  
• If the services are to be streamed, prepare for all aspects of worship 72 hours in advance. This includes preparation by persons who are part of the media ministry.
  
  
• If your revival will include guest psalmists, especially if they are recording artists, ensure that persons have been assigned to work with the psalmists from the point of their arrival in your city, at the church, to the completion of their involvement in the worship service.
  
  
• Prepare to sing an assortment of music during your revival. Revivals are
  
  
• teaching opportunities and occasions during which rarely used genres of African American music can be introduced and re-introduced to persons attending the revival.

1. Opening Prayers
Have your prayer warriors open the service with brief prayers for the following: (1) the unsaved; (2) those out of fellowship with God; (3) all participants in the worship services and (4) the Revival preacher. No prayer should be longer than two minutes since prayer will be offered again during the service.

2. Hymns and Congregational Songs
(a) Revive Us Again. By William P. Mackay and John J. Husband

(b) Send the Fire. By William Booth

3. Spirituals or Traditional Songs
(a) My Soul Is Anchored in the Lord. Arr. by Charles Garner

(b) Come Out the Wilderness. Spiritual

(c) Lord I Want to Be a Christian. Spiritual

4. Anthems
(a) It Pays to Serve Jesus. Setting by Nathan Carter. For SATB, tenor solo

(b) O For a Faith. Setting by Nathan Carter. For SATB, contralto, or bass solo

5. Gospel Songs for Choirs, Ensembles, or Praise Teams
(a) I Feel a Revival Breaking Out in Me. By Jarion Hamm

(b) Send Me, I’ll Go. By Harvey Watkins, Jr. This selection is suggested for male voices.

(c) For the Rest of My Life (I’ll Serve Him). By Timothy Wright

6. Liturgical Dance or Mime Ministry Music
(a) I’ve Got Something. By Richard Smallwood. Arr. by Donald Lawrence

(b) Go Tell Somebody. By Michael Brooks

(c) We Are Not Ashamed. By Andraé Crouch

7. Modern Songs
(a) Sanctify Me. By V. Michael McKay

(b) My Love, My Life, My All. By Kirk Franklin

(c) I Speak Life. By Donald Lawrence. For soloists

(d) It’s Your Season. By Norman Hutchins

(e) Work It Out. By Troy Sneed

(f) Renew Me. By Malcolm Williams

8. Offertory Song or Instrumental
(a) I Am on the Battlefield for My Lord. By Sylvana Bell and E. V. Banks. Tune, (BATTLEFIELD).

(b) Authority. By Karen Clark-Sheard, Israel Houghton, and Aaron Lindsey

9. Song or Instrumental for the Period of Prayer
Have your prayer warriors again preside over this portion of the service. Be sure to ask anyone who wants special prayer, to be born again, or to return to fellowship with God to come to the altar.
(a) I Must Tell Jesus. By Elisha A. Hoffman

(b) Anointing. By John P. Kee

(c) The Promise. By Darius Brooks

(d) I Already Have It. By Deon Kipping

10. Sermonic Selection
(a) We Won’t Leave Here Like We Came. By Maceo Woods

(b) The Promise. By Nolan Williams, Jr.

(c) Live in Me Jesus. By Calvin Bernard Rhone

11. Invitational Song or Instrumental
(a) How Can You Recognize a Child of God? By Margaret Pleasant Douroux

(b) It Took a Miracle. By John W. Peterson

(c) I’m in His Safety. By Oscar Williams

(d) That’s What I Believe. By Donnie McClurkin

(e) Until I Found the Lord. By Clara Ward

(f) I Will Call Upon the Lord. By Michael O’Shields. Arr. by Joseph Joubert

12. Benediction Song or Instrumental
(a) Always Remember. By Andraé Crouch

(b) ‘Til We Meet Again. By Kirk Franklin

Cites and Additional Information for Music and Materials Listed